FILL THE STADIUM
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS B Y C O L E C L AY B O U R N
In response to the worldwide pandemic, numerous pro athletes teamed up with Compassion International to support 70,000 children in crisis through the “Fill the Stadium” initiative.
sinkASin across the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 really began to the world in the spring of 2020, Steve Stenstrom’s
thoughts went to children in developing countries. If shutdowns and cancellations were making life difficult in the United States, how much worse was the pandemic in other areas? So Stenstrom, the president of Pro Athletes Outreach, called up his friend Jimmy Mellado, the president and chief executive officer of Compassion International, a Christian child development organization serving more than 2 million children in poverty across 25 countries. Stenstrom wanted to know how those kids were being impacted. When the pandemic shutdowns initially hit, Compassion was in the annual process of registering more children into its programs, in preparation for the countless concerts, conferences, Compassion Sundays and other events that are vital for gathering sponsors year to year. But as the virus pressed on, more and more events were impacted. For Compassion, a total of 1,241 events ended up being
canceled. That meant 70,000 children, who were just recently registered because of their need, were going to be without sponsors, and without support for the essential food, education and spiritual nurturing sponsorship provides. “It just broke my heart to think these 70,000 kids needed a bridge that was going to bring them from the beginning of COVID to the end of COVID, and it’s truly a life-and-death situation,” Stenstrom said. 38
SPORTS SPECTRUM
TO SUBSCRIBE: CALL 866-821-2971
